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Every Summer
Every summer my father and I would go to the beach
to see the big sea turtles that come to lay their eggs in the sand.
We'd spend nights on the beach lying on one of the golden hilltops
saturated by moonlight,
feeling the sand's cold touch and the sea's special salty smell.
One night they suddenly emerged from the sea.
The turtles came out of the water like dark lumps
and approached the shore.
They laid their eggs and dragged themselves heavily
on the broken seashells back into the sea.
Every night we'd go back to the sea
to check if the turtles had hatched yet.
And after a while, little turtles the size of my hand
started turning towards the water.
There was one small turtle with a leaf-shaped stain on its back
which I particularly liked.
My father said I could touch its shell.
My father fell in the Yom Kippur War.
For six years
I lurked for the sea turtles as I once did with him.
I waited patiently to see the dark stains come out of the water again.
And one night, when I had almost lost hope and fallen asleep,
a big sea turtle came to the shore
and there was a dark leaf on its back.
Based on the story: 'My Sea Turtle' by Ruth Richter
Directed and animated by: Sivan Kidron
Music: Amir Boltzman
Produced for the project: Int.Day.Memorial
www.bac.org.il of the Beit Avichai center.